Iowa State University’s athletic teams earned the "Cyclones" nickname after a dominant football victory highlighted Iowa's stormy reputation. The name stuck due to a vivid newspaper headline comparing the team’s power to a destructive weather event.

Origin Story

On September 28, 1895, Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State) crushed Northwestern University 36-0 in Evanston, Illinois. The Chicago Tribune ran the headline "Struck by a Cyclone: It Comes from Iowa and Devastates Evanston Town" the next day. Reporter Willard B. Lampe wrote: "Northwestern might as well have tried to play football with an Iowa cyclone as with the Iowa team it met yesterday."

This wasn’t random—1895 saw Iowa battered by intense cyclones (the era’s term for tornadoes), making the metaphor hit home. The nickname caught on immediately for all sports teams, evolving from the school’s earlier "Cardinals" label tied to its cardinal-and-gold colors.

Weather Context

Iowa’s tornado-prone plains fueled the imagery, with 1895 marking a peak year for such storms statewide. Back then, "cyclone" broadly described powerful rotating winds, not just hurricanes. The football team’s "devastating" style mirrored nature’s fury, cementing the moniker over 130 years ago.

"At the end of 50 minutes’ play, the big husky farmers from Iowa’s Agricultural College had rolled up 36 points." – Chicago Tribune , via ISU historian Earle D. Ross

Mascot Evolution

  • 1895 : "Cyclones" adopted post-Northwestern rout—no official mascot yet.
  • 1954 : Cy the Cardinal debuts at homecoming; a cyclone was too tricky to costume, so they leaned into school colors with a cardinal bird. 17 people suggested "Cy," but Mrs. Wilma Ohlsen won a blanket prize.
  • Today : Cy (and Cy Jr.) pumps up crowds at Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum, blending bird flair with cyclone spirit.

Cultural Impact

The name’s endured through Big 12 glory—like recent basketball Final Fours and football bowl runs. Fans chant "Cyclones!" amid tailgates, tying back to that 1895 upset. Reddit threads still geek out over the tale, with some joking Iowa’s "coastal cyclones" (spoiler: landlocked).

TL;DR : A 36-0 smackdown and a Tribune zinger born from Iowa’s wild weather made "Cyclones" official in 1895—powerful, enduring, and uniquely fitting.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.